Autonomous transport navigation to a shipping location using elements of a wireles node network

Abstract

Methods, media, and node-enabled autonomous transport vehicles are described for navigating to a shipping location using a plurality of nodes in a wireless node network. A node associated with the autonomous transport vehicle, such as a mobile master node, detects a signal broadcast from an ID node associated with the shipping location, and instructs the ID node to lower a power level of the broadcast signal. The mobile master node identifies the signal broadcast from the ID node with the lowered power level, and determines a direction of the ID node relative to the mobile master node based upon the detected signal with the lowered power level. The mobile master node then navigates to the ID node associated with the shipping location based upon the determined direction, which may involve providing the determined direction to an input for the vehicle's control system.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A node-enabled transport system, comprising:
 an autonomous vehicle configured to move from an initial location to a shipping location in response to control input; 
 a control system disposed on the autonomous vehicle, the control system having an output coupled to the control input of the autonomous vehicle, the control system further having at least one input for receiving an instruction on a desired movement for the autonomous vehicle and producing a control signal on the output responsive to the instruction received; 
 a mobile master node associated with the autonomous vehicle, the mobile master node providing a directional output signal as the instruction to the input of the control system, wherein the mobile master node is one of a plurality of nodes in a wireless node network; and 
 wherein the mobile master node further comprises
 a node processing unit, 
 a node memory coupled to the node processing unit, the node memory maintaining code for execution by the node processing unit, 
 a short-range communication interface coupled to the processing unit and configured to communicate with an ID node associated with the shipping location, wherein the ID node is another of the plurality of nodes and is configured to communicate directly with the mobile master node over the short-range communication interface but not configured to communicate directly with a server in the network, 
 a longer range communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and configured to communicate directly with the server; 
 
 wherein the node processing unit of the mobile master node, when executing the code maintained on the node memory, is configured to
 detect, over the short-range communication interface, a signal broadcast from the ID node associated with the shipping location, 
 transmit an instruction over the short-range communication interface to the ID node, the instruction causing the ID node to lower a power level of the signal broadcast from the ID node, 
 identify the signal broadcast from the ID node with the lowered power level, 
 determine a direction from the mobile master node to the ID node based upon the detected signal with the lowered power level, and 
 provide the determined direction as the instruction to the input of the control system. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the node processing unit is further configured to determine the direction to the ID node and provide the determined direction as the directional output signal as the power level of the detected signal broadcast from the ID node is incrementally decreased over time and as the mobile master node approaches the shipping location. 
     
     
       3. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the node processing unit is further configured to receive an ID node identification from the server over the longer range communication interface, the ID node identification being related to the ID node associated with the shipping location. 
     
     
       4. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 3 , the node processing unit is further configured to detect the ID node identification of the ID node associated with the shipping location from the signal broadcast from the ID node associated with the shipping location. 
     
     
       5. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the shipping location comprises one from a group consisting of a delivery point, a drop-off point, and a pickup point. 
     
     
       6. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the node processing unit is further configured to instruct the control system based upon the directional input to cause the autonomous vehicle transport to stop moving when a current location of the mobile master node is within a predetermined range of the ID node associated with the shipping location. 
     
     
       7. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 6 , wherein the node processing unit is further configured to transmit an update to the server reflecting that the current location of the mobile master node is within the predetermined range of the ID node. 
     
     
       8. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 6 , wherein the node memory further maintains context data; and
 wherein the node processing unit is further configured to:
 access a part of the context data that relates to an operating environment of the ID node; and 
 determine the direction to the ID node with reference to the accessed context data as the power level of the signal is incrementally decreased over time and as the mobile master node approaches the ID node. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 6  further comprising at least one sensor disposed on the autonomous vehicle and coupled at least to the node processing unit of the mobile master node;
 wherein the node memory further maintains context data; and 
 wherein the node processing unit is further configured to:
 access a part of the context data that relates to an anticipated operating environment of the ID node, 
 gather proximity data from the at least one sensor, and 
 determine the direction to the ID node with reference to the accessed context data and the proximity sensor data as the power level of the signal is incrementally decreased over time and as the mobile master node approaches the ID node. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 9 , wherein the operating environment of the ID node is within a package sorting facility. 
     
     
       11. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile master node further comprises onboard location circuitry coupled to the node processing unit;
 wherein the node processing unit is further configured to:
 obtain an updated location of the mobile master node from the onboard location circuitry, and 
 transmit the updated location over the longer range communication interface to the server as the mobile master node approaches the shipping location. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1  further comprising an inertial navigation unit deployed on the autonomous vehicle and generating a determined position for the location of the autonomous vehicle; and
 wherein the node processing unit is further configured to
 determine an updated location of the mobile master node at least in part on the determined position obtained from the inertial navigation unit, and 
 transmit the updated location over the longer range communication interface to the server. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1  further comprising an inertial navigation unit deployed on the autonomous vehicle and generating a determined position for the location of the autonomous vehicle; and
 wherein the mobile master node further comprises onboard location circuitry coupled to the node processing unit; and 
 wherein the node processing unit is further configured to:
 determine if an updated location of the mobile master node from the onboard location circuitry is available, and 
 transmit to the server over the longer range communication interface the updated location obtained from the onboard location circuitry if available, and transmit to the server over the longer range communication interface the determined position obtained from the inertial navigation unit if the updated location is not available. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the shipping location comprises a waypoint in an anticipated route for the autonomous vehicle. 
     
     
       15. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the shipping location comprises a first waypoint of a plurality of waypoints on an anticipated route as the autonomous vehicle approaches a transit destination for a package transaction, wherein each of the plurality of waypoints is associated with another ID node in the plurality of nodes. 
     
     
       16. The node-enabled transport vehicle of  claim 15 , wherein the node processing unit is further configured to:
 detect, over the short-range communication interface, a signal broadcast from the another ID node associated with a next of the waypoints, 
 transmit an instruction over the short-range communication interface to the another ID node, the instruction causing the another ID node to lower a power level of the signal broadcast from the another ID node, 
 identify the signal broadcast from the another ID node with the lowered power level, 
 determine a further direction on the anticipated route from the mobile master node to the another ID node based upon the detected signal with the lowered power level broadcast from the another ID node, and 
 provide the determined direction on the anticipated route as the instruction to the input of the control system.